Mad Mission 2 on AllMovie

Prolific Hong Kong director Lau Kar-wing helmed this first of four official sequels to the 1982 hit Aces Go Places (there was an abortive 1997 follow-up feature as well). An assassin called Filthy Harry is hired by a shady figure (clearly meant to represent Henry Kissinger) and charged with killing the series' unlikely pair of heroes, bald detective Albert Au (Karl Maka) and reformed criminal King Kong (Sam Hui). The film is quite lively, as Albert's relationship with the fiery Superintendent Ho (Sylvia Chang) has hit the skids. The men are framed twice for different robberies by King Kong's new girlfriend, nearly committed to a mental hospital by their devious boss, and forced to battle Filthy Harry's weaponry-laden robot while covered with time bombs. As in the previous film, action scenes are tempered with a great deal of broad slapstick, mostly centering on the heroes' combative interpersonal relationships. Viewers should be cautioned that one English-dubbed version in video circulation is missing nearly 15 minutes of footage from the 102-minute original. Eric Tsang, who directed the first film, co-stars with Raymond Wong, Billy Lau, and Tsui Hark, who appears in a cameo as an insane man who believes himself to be an FBI agent. Hark would direct the next sequel, Aces Go Places III: Our Man From Bond Street, in 1984.